Chancellor William H. Danforth sent the following open letter to members of the community, thanking them for their support:
Congratulations and many, many thanks to staff, students and faculty, especially those who worked so hard to make the first presidential debate of 1992 the great success that it was.
For the past nine days, countless members of the Washington University and St. Louis communities worked around the clock to assure that the facilities were ready, that the people were well informed, that traffic moved, that parking was available, that electrical and telephone lines were in, that spaces were ready for large-screen viewing, that regular programming was interrupted as little as possible, and that visitors from the media and the political groups received a hospitable welcome. I am especially pleased that so many students took part by volunteering to work for the debate commission or the media by serving as runners, ushers and security persons. The best news of all is that nearly 250 students were able to see the debate from inside the hall.
When we agreed to host the debate, we took on responsibility for an important part of the 1992 presidential campaign. I hope everyone will follow the rest of the campaign and then vote. Your vote is important to the success of our democracy.
On Sunday, the world's eye was on St. Louis and Washington University. Everyone supported the effort to be ready. Each task was performed superbly. A "can-do" spirit pervaded the campus. All week long I received compliments about our students and our wonderful staff.
I always knew that we had great people at Washington University, but even I did not know how much could be done so well in so short a time. Perhaps now Washington University will no longer be such a well-kept secret.
I appreciate everyone's work, enthusiasm, patience and cooperation. None of us will ever forget last week.